Author: Megan Koch

Posted 7 January 2022 | 2022, art, art center, art gallery, book club, community, word of the year

Building Momentum for 2022!

Momentum

Our word of the year for 2022.

In 2020 we picked the word ENGAGE. In hindsight it was the perfect word. I am still so proud of the staff of Studio 23 for pivoting so quickly to provide virtual engagement during the shutdown. We didn’t skip a beat and made sure that art was still accessible to our community.

In 2021 we choose the word ELEVATE. We felt that we could continue to elevate the visual arts within our community. One of my favorite projects was the Summer Solstice program. Michigan Sugar partnered with us to provide business development and artist opportunities. It was such a fabulous event we can’t wait to share what we have in store for this year.

Not only did we have great success with that program, we also created Sails Away, a progressive painting. This project was a great collaboration between six talented artists; Alan Maciag, Misty Coss, Debra LaRocque, Ruth Howell, Sheri Moore and C. Joanne Grabinski. This piece turned out amazing and was a wonderful community outreach project for us.

As we navigate through this year, our community needs art. We want to continue to provide the momentum to create, to view, to discuss, and to connect with other artists. The energy can be felt as soon as you walk through our doors or log in to a virtual session. Let’s keep that momentum together and have a creative year ahead.

Thank you for being a part of Studio 23. I feel so lucky to be a part of this artistic community. This past year I have seen amazing artwork be created, on display and collaborations. With the support of Amy G., Misty, Randy and Amy W. we are going to have a great year.

Let’s have a creative year! I hope to see you in the gallery soon.

Sincerely,

Tara Welch

Executive Director

twelch23@studio23baycity.org

Upcoming Events and Workshops

Weekly classes for adults and children begin on January 17th. Check out the education tab on our website to view all the options. Children classes begin at age 7 and adult classes begin at age 18. From pottery to drawing, and watercolor to poetry, we feel we have something for everyone!

Beyond Photography, a stunning collection of cemetery photos by Michael Joseph Murphy. You are invited to a public reception on Friday, January 14, 2022 from 5pm-7pm. This exhibit will be on display from January 12th to January 29th.

The 100 Day project is back for the fourth year!! This year we are using our word of the year MOMENTUM to inspire us. If you can commit to 5-10 minutes a day to create, this is the project for you. Are you trying to work on a new process or have some projects you want to finish? Join other like minded individuals and challenge yourself to 100 days of work.

We will be holding an information session about the 100 Day project virtually on Tuesday, January 11th at 3 pm via Zoom. You are invited to join that session for questions and answers by following the link here on the 11th.

Our first day kick-off session will be on January 25th from 4 – 5:30 pm. This will be a hybrid style check-in with options to join us in the classroom or virtually over Zoom. We will have meetings at the 30, 60, and 90 day marks with a final celebration after the 100 Days on May 10th.

Our guiding word for 2022 is momentum. You may use this as a theme throughout the 100 days or choose your own, but I hope we will all find the momentum we need to have a successful 100 days and more!

To register for the 100 Day Project, please visit our jotform link by clicking here. Registration and membership to Studio 23 is required to participate, and there is a registration fee of $10.

Books on Art: February 16, 2022, 4pm on zoom

Announcing our first book for 2022 Books on Art Club! We will be reading The Flowering, An Autobiography of Judy Chicago. Artist Nancy Philo will be leading our discussion. Nancy has been an artist collective member at Studio 23 for a few years and she is now teaching two classes for Studio 23. Make sure to check out our class schedule for some options!

If you would like to be notified about book club activities, please send us an email. We will update your interests in our database.

Don’t forget to start at smile.amazon.com when you shop! Select Studio 23 as your charity and we receive of portion of your purchase. This helps support our exhibits, programs and public art initiatives. Thank you for your support!

by Megan Koch

Posted 22 May 2021

Announcing the Summer Solstice Event

Here comes the SUN!

Summer is coming to Bay City! We are so excited for a busy summer at Studio 23. There will be events, workshops, celebrations and more. Stop into our galleries and view Painters & Potters on May 27th. The opening reception will take place from 5pm – 7pm. Then check out our website for our Summer Art Camps, The Ways of Water Workshop, and Drawing Bootcamp. There are many opportunities to enjoy a class or workshop.

Summer Solstice Art – a – thon

Last year when our galleries were closed, artists came together and raised funds for Studio 23 while they were painting en plein air. Amy Gibas and Val Allen organized a fun day of virtual events and encouraged our community to make a pledge towards art.

This year we are expanding our Summer Solstice Art-a-thon by adding more workshops, events and a Paint Out with cash prizes. Thanks to our sponsor, Michigan Sugar for partnering with us for the great event.

Our mission is to provide the Great Lakes Bay Region with a vibrant arts center that is dedicated to making the arts relevant and accessible to all. The Summer Solstice is packed full of opportunities to support local artists and to learn from artists! Check out the full schedule of events on our event page: https://www.studio23baycity.org/summer-solstice/

The Ways of Water – A workshop with Erwin Lewandowski

This special Workshop Series is designed for students and artists working with the colored pencil, ink, and graphite mediums. Each workshop day will focus on a specific waterscape scene with hands on instruction, large screen demonstrations, and a photo reference guide. The program does require some previous drawing experience and was created for beginning and intermediate levels. At the conclusion of each workshop, students and artists will have the option of taking home the workshop assignment and contacting the artist for ongoing advice and a critique of their final composition. The first workshop will focus on a quiet or still water scene while the second will involve interpreting a moving stream of water. Each setting will also include some foliage and landscape rock.

Cost of our workshop is only $25 for members and $35 for non-members thanks to the generous grant from the Bay Area Community Foundation!

Workshop will take place Saturday, June 12th from 10am until 5pm.

Painters & Potters 2021

We are excited to celebrate our students, faculty and 100 Day Project members with an in-person reception for our annual Painters & Potters 2021. This exhibits features quality artwork at reasonable prices that encourages collectors to shop local. All mediums are represented from clay to photograph, drawing to painting. The reception will feature a Facebook Live segment for viewers all over the world at 6pm Eastern Time. Painters & Potters 2021 will be on display May 27 – July 9, 2021.

Congratulations to all our students, faculty and 100 Day Project members for their dedication to creating art this past year! Well Done!

Books on Art Club

Our books on art club finished reading Chasing Aphrodite by Jason Felch & Ralph Frammolino. Karen MacArthur, a member of Studio 23 led our discussion on this book. If you are interested in art history and curious how museums purchased their art, this is a story for you!

We will be taking the summer off and will meet again in September. Until then, check out the recommended reads above! I have read each one and enjoyed them very much. On the beach are good romantic reads and around the campfire is a little spooky and mystery for you!

Mask Update

At this time, we still require masks to be worn at Studio 23. We are reviewing our safety protocols and will do what we feel is best for our patrons. All ages enjoy Studio 23 with our classes and exhibition space. Please be patient with us as we continue to review our policies.

Thank you for being a part of Studio 23. I couldn’t feature all of our amazing events, but I encourage you to look at our website to find out more information.

Sincerely,

Tara Welch

Executive Director

twelch23@studio23baycity.org

by Megan Koch

Posted 9 April 2021 | art, art center, classes, collaboration, community, gallery, membership, studio 23

Our members made an impact!

Collaboration within our community is really important to us at Studio 23. Beginning in January this year, our membership committee created a Membership Drive that would give back to two nonprofits in our region. As I hope you know, Studio 23 has been a registered nonprofit for over 60 years. We were founded in 1959 by a group of artists and community members who wanted a space for artists to display their work.

Studio 23 is a part of the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and a local Rotary Club. It is a great way for us to network and to know what others are working on. With our connections we reached out to the Bay Area Women’s Center and Big Brothers Big Sisters to collaborate with us for our Membership Drive. Happily they both accepted and we got to work!

With each new member and renewing member we donated a Craft Bar packet to a child in their care. What is a Craft Bar packet? It is an art project that has step by step instructions with all of the art supplies in one convenient packet for you to use. We sell our Craft Bar packets during open gallery hours and they make a perfect project for you to gift or to create on your own!

We set a lofty goal of 100 members in three months. Well, we came really close at 87 members and we are proud to say we still donated 100 Craft Bar packets to children through Bay Area Women’s Center and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Last Friday, we dropped off the donations and here is how they impacted the organizations:

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Great Lakes Bay Region has a mission of creating and supporting one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Their vision to help all youth achieve their full potential. Last week I got to sit down with Rachel Sprunger who is one of two Bay County Match Coordinators, and discussed the impact of the Craft Bar Packets.

“Being able to do arts and crafts is wonderful for our littles. It helps keep them creative and focused. With art they can have a creative outlet and it helps them grow and find their strengths” – Rachel told me how art really makes an impact on the littles. The packets will be porch drop offs that the littles and bigs can do virtually together. We can’t wait to see what they create!

Big Brother Big Sisters is always looking for BIGs. There are currently about 12 littles in Bay County who are waiting for a match. BBBS receives referrals of littles from our school system and has a partnership with the Dow Bay Area Family Y. For more information about becoming a Big or referring a little contact BBBS at 844-4BE-ABIG or visit our website https://bbbsgreatlakesbay.org/.

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The mission of the Bay Area Women’s Center is to eliminate domestic violence and sexual assault. BAWC provides free-of-charge crisis intervention, advocacy and safe haven to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault; and violence prevention education to the community; while actively pursuing social change.

I got to speak with Maggie Pickering who is a Sexual Assualt Therapist and Jeremy Rick who is the Executive Director of the Bay Area Women’s Center. The Craft Bar Packets will be given to their clients who are in their shelter. Maggie said that “art has a therapeutic power and it helps her work with clients”. They provide therapy services in person and virtual.

“Anytime we can expose our kids to something positive and fun, we can help them better”, says Jeremy. Their goals at the shelter are to help empower the children to keep them safe. A lot of times when families come to the shelter, the children feel guilty for their situation. Art can help them erase the guilt as they work with their therapists to better themselves and their family.

It was such a pleasure to donate these art packets to two organizations who will benefit. Art is a wonderful thing and now it can help these children be empowered and get creative. With your support as members, these kids were gifted the joy of art!

Thank you for reading along and sharing art with our community! You can sign up to be a member today by visiting: https://www.studio23baycity.org/membership/

Sincerely,

Tara Welch

Executive Director

twelch23@studio23baycity.org

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Spring is coming!

We were chatting as staff here at Studio 23 and we are shocked with how quickly time is going! April is here and we are prepping for our Summer Art Camps, Summer Solstice event and even the Chalk Walk Art Festival.

Exhibition: Land To River, A collaboration with the Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy and sponsored by Waste Management.

Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 11am – 5pm

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood to take a Plein Air Painting Class with Artist/Instructor Ruth Howell.
Ruth will guide you through painting outdoor scenes in plein air. The class will cover supplies, equipment and tips to paint outside. Artists are encouraged to work in a painting medium such as watercolor, oil, acrylic or pen and ink.

This workshop will run rain or shine- shine will get us outside and rain will keep us painting from the stage windows inside Studio 23.

Saturday, April 24th 10am-1pm

The social season is upon us! Grab your friends and join Studio 23 for a Bridgerton inspired paint night. Each attendee will learn how to paint a custom wooden tea-cup holder while enjoying a night out. And because you’re creating it yourself, you’ll be able to personalize your own colors selections.

You bring your beverage of choice and we will provide pizza, breadsticks, and all the supplies you need to complete this beautiful cup holder!

Thursday, April 29th 6-9pm

by Megan Koch

Posted 22 January 2021 | art, bay city, class, elevate, local gallery, workshop

New Year, New Opportunities

Elevate the ARTS in 2021

We all know that 2020 was not the year any of us expected. With the many challenges it gave us and we are still working through, certain things stayed true. The visual arts are an important pillar in our communities and everyday life. You connected with us virtually, by watching artist demos, tours of studio spaces and creating your own artwork at home. Now as we move into 2021, we want to continue to Elevate the Arts. Our word of the year is to elevate. Working together we can elevate arts education, elevate local artists and elevate public art.

You are reading this blog, because you believe in the power of art. I hope to see you in our galleries, taking a class, or walking around town looking at Art Around the City. Studio 23 has a lot planned for 2021. First, we are kicking off the year with our 100 Day project on January 31st. Then with a full year of exhibits, we will be celebrating a variety of art styles, like watercolor, photography, environmental and more. Our education programming has expanded with Mixed Media options and drawing options. All of our classrooms and gallery space are compliant with the current executive orders.

We made changes this year to our in person sessions to make our space safe. Thanks to a grant from the Bay Area Community Foundation we were able to purchase air purifiers, sanitizer and masks for our classrooms and gallery. PPE funds wasn’t the only area we needed support this past year. Operational costs were supported by emergency grants with state and federal support. Studio 23 received support from the Payroll Protection Program, Michigan Council of Arts and Cultural Affairs, Bay Area Community Foundation, MI Restart Program, Bay Future and Saginaw Future. Without the emergency funds, our operations would have looked much different. Thank you to all of these organizations for recognizing and support the arts and culture in our community.

This year Studio 23 is counting on you for our membership program. Membership provides annual support to our gallery space that helps guarantee we can be a vibrant part of our community. During the months of January, February and March, each membership you purchase will support children in our community. We are partnering with Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the GLBR and the Bay Area Women’s Center to provide Craft Bar packets to children. Craft Bar packets are an art activity that comes with all supplies and step by step instructions. We are thrilled to be offering this incentive for our community to join or renew their memberships with Studio 23. Not only do you make a difference to the local arts, but you will make a direct impact on a child, giving them the gift of art.

Let’s ELEVATE the arts in 2021. Take a class, walk through the galleries or go outside to see Art Around the City.

Thank you,

Tara Welch, Executive Director

To read our full newsletter please visit: Winter Newsletter 2021

Upcoming Events

Check out our full listing of classes here: Winter 2021 Class Offerings

Sunday, January 24th at 10am

Yoga INDOORS at Studio 23/The Arts Center
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Once a month, we will host a yoga class (appropriate for all levels) at Studio 23 to relax, have fun, and raise a little extra money for the Arts Center.
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Classes will be in the art gallery, so you’ll have a chance to see the current exhibits the same day. Class is $12 each, and $2 will go to Studio 23.
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January 24 at 10 am: Rosemary Kavanagh Exhibit: A History of Bay City
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Note: Due to state regulations, masks will be required for this event. Space is limited so please register ahead of time to secure your spot!
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Please bring your own yoga mat or beach towel and any other props you’ll need to be comfortable. If this is your first time taking a class with Kirsten Marie, you’ll need to fill out a quick release form before class starts.

https://form.jotform.com/202734222700038

We are in our third year of 100 days of art making! The ground rules are simple and the reward is developing a creative habit that will last the rest of the year.

Here are the steps to make a committment for 2021.

1. Create a project and dedicate 5-10 minutes a day to that project. This project can change as you navigate through the 100 days but it will be the guiding theme.

Our word of the year for 2021 is “Elevate”. You are welcome to have that as a focus for your project but it is not required.

2. Share your progress online in our private Facebook group that is being developed specifically for the 2021 group.

3. Attend virtual check-ins as a way to support, chat and collaborate with the other 100 Dayers!

https://cdn.jotfor.ms/curator.studio23/application-for-studio-23s-the-100-

February 12th and 13th from 11am – 5pm

Join Studio 23, along with Downtown Bay City Merchants for the Indulge weekend! Shop and make purchases to win prizes at participating local shops.

Studio 23 is offering a special Valentine themed Craft Bar. Choose from six different projects to create in Studio or take home. With each purchase you have the chance to win a $10 gift certificate for a future purchase.
Craft Bar packets range from $5 to $25 for each craft.

We will be releasing the new Craft Bar activities in the beginning of February!!

Saturday, February 13th from 2pm – 4pm

Join artist Rosemary Kavanagh as she shares her precious inheritance of family correspondence between her father and mother during the war years. This is the perfect event for the day before Valentine’s. The letters, Valentine’s and Christmas cards will be on display. Rosemary will be reading excerpts at various times during the afternoon event. You can then view portraits painted by Rosemary in her solo exhibition that will be on display thru March 10, 2021

by Megan Koch

Posted 24 November 2020

Policy Updates, 11/24/2020

COVID Update for Studio 23/The Arts Center

November 24, 2020

Dear Patrons,

Last week Studio 23 had our monthly board meeting and many discussions to find a solution to keep everyone safe after the new COVID order was released. Our board and staff are dedicated to our mission of keeping the arts relevant and accessible to all, and we want to keep our art center open to you to create.

Beginning today, November 24th, we are implementing these new policies and reminding everyone of current policies:

– Masks are required at all times inside our galleries and classrooms.

– Keep socially distant from others.

– Galleries and retail space are setting the capacity at 10 individuals at a time.

– K–8 programming will remain in person for the final two weeks of classes. Please be sure to check with your instructor or call us with any questions.

– All adult classes have been postponed, unless they were already virtual. Virtual classes will continue as scheduled.

– All open-studio times must be signed up for in advance.

– We are allowing people from two households in a classroom at a time.

Some of our previously scheduled events are changing as a result of the new order:

– Please join us virtually on November 28th for our next artist reception. Rosemary Kavanagh features painted portraits of her family relating to Bay City’s history. She will be guiding us through a tour for you to view live on Facebook. After the tour, we will post the video to our website and YouTube channel.

– Rosemary Kavanagh’s exhibit will still open to the public on November 28th with the new guidelines in place. We encourage you to set up an appointment if you would like to view the exhibit privately. Our public exhibit hours are: Tuesday – Saturday from 11am – 5pm, beginning on Saturday, November 28th.

– Our online Black & White auction opens at 12:00 p.m. on November 28th. Please consider supporting Studio 23 and local artists by bidding on auction items. All items can be viewed at: www.32auctions.com/studio23baycity

– The dinner portion of the Black & White fundraiser has been canceled. We appreciate everyone’s support during our annual fundraising time.

We know that these new policies are going to be an adjustment. Please be patient with us as we put art and your safety first.

Please reach out to me with any questions through phone or email.

studio23.Executive.Director@gmail.com | 989-894-2323

by Megan Koch

Posted 13 November 2020 | art, art center, art gallery, community, Healthy, Preview Party, Safety, Virtual Event

Art is good for the soul.

With COVID counts on the rise in Bay County, we want to encourage everyone to be safe. Studio 23 is committed to being a safe environment for our patrons, students and community. Each morning we arrive the studio is completely sanitized and we get ready to open the doors for you. Our students enter the classrooms wearing their mask and sit at their own table spaced apart from each other. A class is complete and we wipe down the surfaces to prepare it for the next class. Our staff has some beautiful masks that we are happy to wear everyday. Thank you for letting us serve you!

ART is so good for your soul. With the stress and worry we face everyday, I’m inviting you to come into Studio 23 to create, view art and experience joy. Here are five reasons why art is good for you!

(Source: https://obxartstudio.com/5-reasons-art-good-soul-world/)

Art Generates A Love For Learning & Creativity: Art gives you a chance to explore parts of yourself maybe you did not know existed. It teaches risk taking, and being open to how things may turn out different from what you originally wanted them to. It helps you learn to be more passionate and curious.
Art Develops The Whole Brain: It is proven that art increases attention, strengthens focus, requires practice, develops hand-eye coordination, and interacting with the world using mediums and tools. I feel strongly that art is mentally a good thing for not just kids, but everyone to do.
Art Supports Your Emotional Intelligence: Art really supports the expression of feelings that maybe you can’t put into words. Art helps you discover joy in one’s self, and often you’ll be surprised. I personally know that in some cases situations and feelings are very hard to express in just words. There are usually such strong feelings behind a piece of artwork you may think is just something pretty.
Art Teaches Problem Solving: Art challenges our beliefs and encourages us to be open-minded. It helps us think, and realize that there is more than one answer to a problem. It forces us to really get creative and to use our crazy imagination.
Art Is Eternal: Self-expression and creativity has always been essential to our humanity. Going back to beginning of time, our earliest expressions were recorded in petroglyphs, cave paintings, and ancient sculptures. Imagination has always been apart of our world, and we should value it.

This Wednesday, November 18th we will be hosting our first virtual preview party for the upcoming auction. Traditionally in December we host a large fundraiser that auctions off artwork and items from local businesses. This year we are moving the auction online and having it stay open for three weeks. With this change we are hopefully that we will raise funds for our nonprofit to help us end 2020 on a high note.

We are getting excited to show you the amazing items up for auction. Join us for our first Preview Party from the comfort of your own home.

Our Preview Party Partner is Artigiano. They have paired a cheese and wine for each night and you can purchase these at their shop located on Saginaw Street in Bay City.

The Fawn is a mild yet very flavorful American Cheddar cheese that is from Wisconsin. It is a gold medal winner at the International Cheese Awards.

Sansilvestro Dulcis Moscato is a light, semi-sweet wine that will pair perfectly with the fawn. The bottle is a beautiful piece of art on its own!

Stop in to Artigiano to purchase the pairing and get comfy on your couch for November 18th at 7pm.

I’m looking forward to seeing you virtual,

Tara Welch

Executive Director

Studio23.Executive.Director@gmail.com

by Megan Koch

Posted 7 November 2020 | art, art center, art gallery, bay city, community, shop local, shop small, support, thank you

Thankful in November

I love seeing the fall colors. The fresh crisp air and beautiful deep hues of gold, orange and reds. Bay City has had some great views this season! This time of year is for reflection as we come upon the Thanksgiving holiday.

Painting by Ruth Howell, Studio 23 Instructor

Here at Studio 23 we have a lot to be thankful for.

Throughout the pandemic, our staff has worked hard to make sure we were engaging our community. For 2020 we set the intention of our theme word as ENGAGE. I know we are all proud to say that we did continue to engage virtually and now again in person at the studio.

While we were working from home we began to apply for funding to support our operations. We are very fortunate to receive funding from Bay Future/DOW, Michigan Council of Arts and Culture Affairs COVID Fund, MI Restart Program, Bay Community Foundation PPE Grant and Payroll Protection Program. These funds allowed us to keep our staff working at home and then prepare the studio to open to the public. We are taking every precaution we can to make sure we have a safe environment for you to create in.

We have made upgrades to our website to share our social media content even if you don’t have a FB account. You can view our main page and scroll through our feed. Autumn, Val and I continue to research the best ways to share videos and artist information with you. Every Friday we do live videos featuring our 50 Artists of the Great Lakes Bay Region. You listen to an artist talk, see a fun family project and then see an artist demo. We relate everything to the featured artist of the week. If you see our content please give us a share! That way more people in our community can enjoy the local artistic talent we have.

I’d like to give a special thank you to artist and community member, Avram Golden. For Avram’s birthday this year he started a fundraiser on his FaceBook page to support us here at Studio 23. Through his birthday celebration he raised over $700 to support our mission of making the arts relevant and accessible to all. Thank you Avram for being a support of the arts and especially a supporter of Bay City!

As you begin your holiday shopping I hope you consider supporting Studio 23 and our local businesses in Bay City. In our Off the Wall Boutique we have many great gift options like; bowls, platters, wood vases, scarfs, cards and more! We are happy to gift wrap all items for you. A gift certificate to the studio also makes the perfect stocking stuffer. Our small businesses are gearing up for holiday weekends and our Downtown has many events planned. Join the merchants for Merry Little Weekend, November 13-15 and then Sundays in the City which will be announced very soon.

If you must do your holiday shopping online, please consider starting at SMILE.amazon.com. With SMILE you can support Studio 23 while you use your prime benefits. With every purchase Amazon donates a percentage of that gift to Studio 23. Just make sure you click us as your designated nonprofit.

Thank you for believing in the power of ART.

Sincerely,

Tara Welch, Executive Director

by Megan Koch

Posted 10 October 2020 | art, artist, classroom, community, fall, fundraiser, gallery, programs, support, workshop

Falling into October

The leaves are changing, a cool breeze is blowing off the river and we are getting ready for fall.

Classes are in full swing and we are so happy to have the studio full of voices and laughter. Our students have been awesome with our mask policies, we thank you! Make sure to check out our fall workshops that are coming up. You can paint the Lord of the Rings or paint a pallet, new options are being scheduled each week.

MI Artists, a juried exhibition opened this September. We ran a virtual reception and had over 100 people join us through Facebook and Zoom! Each artist was thanked for their talents by Stephen Prince, who represented Representative Brian Elder. We really appreciated his support for all of our Michigan Artists and also thank MCACA for supporting Studio 23 with a COVID Support grant.

Stop in to see this beautiful exhibit. Thirty-two Michigan cities are represented and the artists are fabulous. I really have enjoyed seeing so many different mediums like fiber art, sculpture, cold-wax and more.

The Art Advocate campaign is coming to a close. This year we raised over $3,000 to help support our local artists. Since 2017 this program has invested over $21,000 back into our community through awards, scholarships, Art Around the City and exhibit opportunities. You should be proud to be an art advocate, you made the choice to support your local arts center. It is not too late to become an advocate today! Sign up through our donate page on our website.

The Black & White Affair is the annual fundraising event for Studio 23 and is getting a make over this year.

This evening supports our mission of providing the Great Lakes Bay Region with a vibrant arts center dedicated to making the visual arts relevant and accessible to all.

During this year’s event, you will enjoy an elegant sit-down dinner, catered by Old City Hall, accompanied by a wine pairing. You will enjoy a quaint setting with your closest friends, while artists paint the night in plein air style. The chef will take us through six courses, each paired with a wine, while we listen to sweet melodies and have fun conversations.

This dinner is limited to forty people. Tickets are now on sale through our website or by calling us during open hours. We hope you will join us!

Rosemary Kavanagh is our featured artist and will be displaying her family history through oil paintings. Her exhibit opens in November and will be on display until January.

Thank you for being a part of Studio 23. We are so happy that we get to be a part of our community and showcase the talent we have in our region. I will see you soon in the galleries or in a classroom!

Sincerely,

Tara Welch

Executive Director

by Megan Koch

Posted 12 September 2020

A Start to a New Fall!

A Start to a New Fall

A new semester means to us: children laughing in our classrooms, artists hanging new work, and the start of our annual fundraiser. Some things, like most, are going to look a little different, but we are happy to make adjustments so we can still enjoy our art center.

Classes now are limited to the smaller number of eight per session. Students will have their own tables and access to sanitizer, and must wear a mask during our sessions. We are taking steps to make sure you are safe in our facility.

Please check out the new sessions that we are offering and of course our classics. From clay to watercolor, pencil to oil, we hope we have something that interests you.

Thank you to everyone who has made the pledge to be an Art Advocate for our 2020 MI Artists All-State Exhibition. This program has helped support our artist prizes, lectures, juror fees, and more opportunities for local artists. You can still help us make the pledge to advocate for our local art!

We hope you will join us for our virtual reception on September 17th at 5 p.m. Stream live on Facebook as our juror walks us through exhibit, announces the winners, and participates in a question-and-answer session. It will be a great event! If you cannot join us live, we will be adding the video link to our website under the exhibition link.

I look forward to seeing you soon in the gallery with your most stylist mask.

Tara Welch, Executive Director

Our Newsletter is now available online. Please visit this link to view: Newsletter

Our Class schedule is now available online. Please visit this link to view: Fall Classes

New: Portrait Drawing!

Let our instructor Julie Tyslicky teach you her methods of using proportion, studying facial characteristics, and using value progressions to capture the effects of light and make your portrait appear three-dimensional.

This class runs on Fridays from 4 p.m.–7 p.m.

Oil Painting with Jim!

Just one example of student work from Jim Perkins’s oil painting class. If you’ve ever wanted to learn to paint, Jim’s atelier-style class is perfect for you! He will teach you the foundation you need.

This class runs on Thursday evenings from 6 p.m.–9 p.m.

New: Daytime Clay!

Our clay studio is one of the most popular areas in our gallery. Have you been wanting to make your own bowls, platters, or garden sculptures?

Give one of our clay classes a try! Now offering a Monday daytime session from 10 a.m.–1 p.m.

by Megan Koch

Posted 10 July 2020

Moving into Summer Fun!

2020 has thrown us some curve balls…

Our staff adjusted quickly when the #stayhome order came into place. We immediately started creating family art projects, art demos and artist studio tours on our social media pages. Our website was updated, so everyone can view our social media videos on our main page. The viewers, supporters, and artists made all of that possible. Join us every Friday now, for our Friday Live Art Talks! I begin with an art talk about one of our 50 Artists of the Great Lakes Bay Region. Autumn, our Education Coordinator pops on to give you a fun family art project to do in your home. Val wraps it up by doing an art demo inspired by the artist featured. We are working our way through the whole group of 50 artists and hope you will join us!

Studio 23 is fortunate to receive funding from DOW and funding with the PPP to continue our operations. This helped us while we transitioned our programing to online formats.

We now offer virtual programing for classes and workshops. You can take iPhoneography, drawing and plein air classes through the Zoom platform. We finished many of our children’s classes virtually this winter and are now offering two options for children this summer. You will see us continue to offer in person classes and online. With online classes we have seen our physical location become nonexistent, having students join us from Mexico and Germany. What an amazing opportunity to reach students from all over the world.

As we move into the rest of summer we have opened our galleries to the public again. Painters & Potters is on exhibit and showcases the talent of our students and instructors. This is an exhibit to see year after year, and watch all of our students improve their artistic style. The variety of mediums is very exciting! It creates a visual representation of growth of our programing.

Chalk Walk Art Festival is moving to an online format. We appreciate our title sponsor Thelen Subaru for supporting the festival during this change. Now adult, teens and youth can fill out their registration online and submit their original work through the online portal. Patrons will be able to view an online gallery of all of the artwork. Check out the Chalk Walk website for all information!

With all of the change that has happened, I couldn’t be prouder to work with our staff and artists to embrace the new. We appreciate everyone’s support and patience as we have worked through rescheduling and adjusting our exhibits, fundraisers and programs.

I get the question of ‘How can I help?’ The best way to support your local art center is to become a member, become an art advocate, or participate in a class or exhibit. I hope you will continue to support our center. Follow us along on social media and our website and share our content with friends and family who have an appreciation for art. Word of mouth is the best way for us to reach new audiences.

Thank you for sticking with us! I look forward to seeing you in our galleries soon.

Tara Welch

Executive Director

Upcoming Events and Programs

Our galleries are now open! Join us from 11am-5pm, Tuesday through Saturday. Galleries are limited to 10 people at a time. If you would like a private showing we are happy to accommodate. Please give us a call to set one up today.

August 4th, 3pm-6pm

Members of Studio 23 can join us for a Paint Pour workshop. We are offering to-go options for our members. If you would like to do this in our studio please sign up for a time slot. Thank you!

In person summer camp for children. Join us from August 3rd-7th from 8:30am – 3:30pm. Students will learn a variety of mediums in a safe environment. We are limiting our summer camps to eight campers.

Paint with Studio 23 from the comfort of your own home or even wrangle up some pals and paint from the patio…

grab your drinks because…

We’re offering a Sip ‘n’ Swirl through Zoom!!

We will be painting “Beautiful Buck” an image we’ve never offered at the studio.

This will be such a fun painting event and don’t worry, because it’s Zoom you’ll be able to ask any question you have in real time.

Does the deer look “too hard” to paint?! Promise it’s not as you will also learn to design transfer!

All supplies and instruction are included in the price!

$45 per person

Thursday, August 6th 6-9pm

You can pick up your supplies any time 11am-5pm August 4th, 5th, or 6th.

CALL FOR ENTRY

MI Artists All-State Juried Exhibition 2020 application is now available. Please submit your entries online through this link: https://form.jotform.com/201498925166161 This will be a virtual exhibit with the option of displaying your artwork in our galleries through a safe delivery system. Timothy Norris, artist and instructor is our juror. There will be a $1000 best of show award as well as additional awards of merit TBD.